For one more time, Ankara provokes Greece and the international community announcing seismic research and drilling in the East Mediterranean Sea and thus in maritime area between the Greek island of Kastelorizo and Libya.
The spokesman of President Tayyip Erdogan, Ibrahim Kalin, said on Thursday that Ankara will proceed with seismic research and drilling in the maritime area included in the memorandum signed with Libya.
“Due to our agreement with the official Libyan government we will continue our seismic research and drilling in the eastern Mediterranean but also in the areas we have agreed with Libya. On this issue I have to stress that we are determined, ” Kalin said.
Similar statements were recently made also by the Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez.
Erdogan said mid-January that he would grant drilling licenses for the maritime area according to the memorandum with Libya.
Such move is a clear provocation towards Greece as Turkey challenges Greek sovereignty in the area by claiming that neither Kastelorizo nor the south islands of the Dodecanese and Crete have continental shelf.
Athens has recently warned Ankara to refrain from such moves in the maritime area because the country is considering all scenarios including this of a military involvement.
Countries in the East Mediterranean, the European Union and the US have condemned the illegal agreement between Turkey and Libya.
